Hinge.



No 844,629. PATENTED FEB. 19, 1907. J. W. TATUM.

HINGE.

'APPLIOATION FILED DEO.14,1906.

W I" I ai'izomgw JAMES W. TATUM, OF DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA.

HINGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1907.

Application filed December 14,1906. Serial No. 347.798.

T0 all whom, it may COTLUUY'IL.

Be it known that I, JAMES W. TATUM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Durham, in the county of Durham and State of North Carolina,have invented new and useful Improvements in Hinges, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inhinges, and more particularly to what are known as stop-hinges,especially adapted for use in hanging shutters or outside blinds.

The prime object of the invention is to provide a hinge wherein bothmembers areidentical in coi'istruction, thus obviating the necessity ofmaking rights and lefts.

A further object of the invention is to provide each hinge member withduplicate interlocking elements, so that in event of one of the saidelements becoming broken the said member may be reversed so as to bringthe other element into position for use.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a hinge the twomembers of which are constructed and arranged to have when hung agravity-locking action, the interlocking elements of which may bedisengaged with little exertion on the part of the user.

To these and other ends the invention comprisers the features ofconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described in detailand then more definitely pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the annexed drawings, in which I have illustrated thepreferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a perspective viewlooking at the outside of one side of a window-.frame, showing a shutterhung by hinges constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 isan elevation showing the shutter swung to full-open position. Fig. 3 isan enlarged top plan view showing the position of the two hinge memberswhen the shutter is fully open and locked. Fig. 4 is a perspective of acomplete hinge member constructed according to my invention.

As both hinge members are identical in construction a description of onewill sufiice.

Referring to Fig. 4 of the drawings, which illustrates in perspectivethe preferred embodiment of the invention, the referencenumeral 1designates a plate having formed therein a pair of substantiallykeyhole-slots 2, the narrow legs of the slots of the pair facing eachother and extending parallel with the front edge of the plate 1.Projecting upward from each end of the plate 1 and located closelyadjacent the circular portion of each keyhole-slot 2 is a tongue 3,having an inwardly-extending nose 4, for a purpose presently to be madeto appear. The maximum width of the tongue 3 is slightly less than thediameter of the circular portion of the keyhole-slot, so that the saidtongue may be caused to enter and turn freely in the said circularportion of the keyhole-slot of a companion hinge member. The oppositesides of the tongue are fiat, as shown, and of such dimensions as toenable it to enter the narrow leg portion of the keyhole-slot of acompanion-hinge member, as is required when it is desired to lock thehinge members against turning movement.

Suitable means is provided for attaching the hinge in position for use,which in the present embodiment is shown as a right-angular extension 5,formed integral with the plate 1, said extension having suitablescrewopenings 6.

While I have shown and described each hinge member as having twokeyhole-slots 2 and two tongues 3, it will be apparent that only oneeach of these elements is actually brought into use at a time, the othertwo being provided for use in case of breakage and in order to make thehinge reversible. Obviously it is within the scope and spirit of theinvention to provide each hinge member with but one keyhole-slot and onetongue.

In order to hang a shutter with my improved hinge, the members areattached to the shutter and frame, as shown in Fig. 1, the plate 1 ofeach member lying in a horizontal plane and the tongues 3 of the membersattached to the window-frame 7 projecting through the circular portionsof the keyhole slots 2 of the members carried by the shutter 8. With theparts in this position it will be apparent that upon swinging theshutter to open position the tongues 3 will act as pintles about whichthe shutter may swing. WVhen the shutter reaches its fullopen position,as shown in Fig. 2, by reason of its gravity action the lower endthereof will move inward automatically in the direction of the arrow insaid figure until it assumes the dotted-line position, thus bringing thetongue 3 of the lower-hinge member, that is attached to the frame 7,into the narrow portion of the keyhole-slot of the companion hingemember carried by the shutter 8, which will cause the said two membersto become temporarily locked and hold the shutter against swingingmovement, all as more clearly shown in Fig. 3. During theinward-swinging movement just described, which results in automaticallylocking the shutter, the latter pivots, so to speak, on the hingemembers attached to the upper part of the shutter and frame,respectively. When it is desired to close the shutter, it is simplynecessary to push the lower end thereof outward until the tongue ismoved out of the narrow portion of the keyhole-slot and brought into thecircular portion thereof, and when in this position the shutter may beswung to closed position, as will be obvious.

The projecting nose 4 on the tongue 3 serves to prevent accidentalseparation of the hinge members when two of such members are properlyassembled-as, for instance, when used to hang a shutter, as shown in theaccompanying drawings.

I do not wish to limit myself to the precise form and construction ofhinge member herein shown and described, except as I may be limited bythe terms of the appended claims, as I recognize that changes oradditions may be made without evading the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is 1. A hinge member comprising a plate having akeyholeslot and a tongue rising upward from the face of the plateadjacent the said slot.

2. A hinge member comprising a plate having a keyhole-slot and a tonguerising up- Ward from the face of the plate, in line with and adjacentthe said slot.

3. A hinge member comprising a plate having a keyhole-slot and a tongueprojecting from the face of the plate, in line with and adjacent thesaid slot, said tongue having a projecting nose.

4. A hinge member comprising a plate hav ing a keyhole-slot and a tongueprojecting from the face of the plate, in line with and adjacent thesaid slot, said tongue having flattened sides.

5. A hinge member comprising a plate having a pair of keyhole-slots, andtongues projecting from the face of the plate, one adjacent each slot.

6. A hinge member comprising aplate having a pair of keyhole-slots inline with each other and tongues projecting upward from the face of theplate at opposite ends thereof, slaid tongues being in line with thekeyholes ots.

7. A hinge member comprising a plate having apair of keyhole-slotslocated in alinement and tongues projecting upward from the face of theplate at opposite ends thereof, the opposite faces of said tongues beingflat.

8. A hinge member comprising a plate having a pair of keyhole-slotslocated in alinement and parallel to the outer edge of the plate, atongue projecting upward from the face of the plate adjacent thecircular portion of each keyhole-slot and an inwardly-extending nose onthe upper end of each tongue.

9. A hinge comprising two identical members each consisting of a platehaving a keyhole-slot and a tongue projecting upward from the face ofthe plate and located adjacent and in line with the slot, the tonguesand slots of the two hinge members being complementary.

10. A hin e comprising two members each consisting of -a plate having akeyhole-slot and a tongue projecting upward from the face of the plateand locatedadjacent the circular portion of the slot, said tongue havingan inwardly-projecting nose, the tongues and keyhole-slots of the twohinge members being complementary.-

11. A hinge member comprising a plate having a keyhole-slot, a tongueprojecting from the face of the plate adjacent and in line with saidslot, and an angular extension at one side of the plate for attachingthe latter in position.

12. A hinge member comprising a plate having a pair of keyhole-slotsarranged in line with each other, and an angular extension at one sidethereof, and tongues projecting from the face of the plate adjacent thecircular portion of each slot.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JAuEs w. TATUM.

WVitnesses:

J. GRANVILLE MEYERs, GERTRUDE M. STUOKER.

